What Is a Standard Drink? Beer, Wine and Cocktail Sizes Compared

In the United States, a standard drink contains 14 grams (0.6 fluid ounces) of pure alcohol: about 12 ounces of 5% beer, 5 ounces of 12% wine or 1.5 ounces of 40% (80-proof) spirits. A strong craft beer, a generous wine pour or a mixed cocktail can easily count as two or more. Counting standard drinks, not glasses, is how you know how much you’ve actually had.1

Key takeaways

  • NIAAA defines a US standard drink as any beverage containing 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol.1
  • A 750 mL bottle of 12% wine holds about 5 standard drinks, and a 750 mL bottle of 80-proof spirits holds about 17.2
  • A 12-ounce craft beer at 10% alcohol by volume counts as two standard drinks.1
  • Using the bartender-guide recipes in NIAAA’s cocktail calculator, a margarita works out to about 1.7 standard drinks and a piña colada to 2.0.3
  • Across 37 countries with an official definition, the most common standard drink was 10 grams of alcohol, with a range of 8 to 20 grams.4

What is a standard drink?

A standard drink, also called an alcoholic drink equivalent, is a fixed amount of pure alcohol: 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams, in the US.1 NIAAA’s reference servings, each about one drink:1

  • 12 fl oz of regular beer (about 5% alcohol)
  • 8–10 fl oz of malt liquor or hard seltzer (about 7%)
  • 5 fl oz of table wine (about 12%)
  • 3–4 fl oz of fortified wine such as port or sherry (about 17%)
  • 2–3 fl oz of liqueur, cordial or aperitif (about 24%)
  • 1.5 fl oz of 80-proof spirits (40%)

NIAAA notes these amounts “may not reflect customary serving sizes.”1 The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines set no daily number: “Consume less alcohol for better overall health.”5 (The earlier 2020–2025 guidelines said 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 or less for women.)6

How many standard drinks are in beer, wine, spirits and cocktails?

Multiply the ounces by the alcohol percentage, then divide by 0.6. The table does that math for common drinks.

Standard drinks in common servings (US standard drink = 0.6 fl oz / 14 g of pure alcohol; our calculations, rounded to one decimal)
Drink Size Alcohol (ABV) Standard drinks
Light beer 12 oz 4.2% 0.8
Regular beer or hard seltzer 12 oz 5% 1.0
Regular beer, US pint 16 oz 5% 1.3
IPA 12 oz 7% 1.4
IPA, US pint 16 oz 7% 1.9
Double IPA, tallboy can 16 oz 8.5% 2.3
Strong craft beer 12 oz 10% 2.0
Malt liquor 40 oz 7% 4.7
Wine, standard pour 5 oz 12% 1.0
Wine, typical restaurant pour 6 oz 13.5% 1.4
Wine, large pour 9 oz 13.5% 2.0
Wine, full bottle 750 mL (25.4 oz) 12% / 14.5% 5.1 / 6.1
Spirits, one shot 1.5 oz 40% 1.0
Spirits, generous pour 2 oz 40% 1.3
Spirits, full bottle (a “fifth”) 750 mL 40% 16.9
Margarita (1.5 oz tequila + 1 oz orange liqueur) 3 oz total 40% spirits 1.7
Martini, extra dry (2 oz gin + 0.25 oz vermouth) 2.25 oz 40% / 16% 1.4
Mojito or vodka tonic (2 oz spirit) 6 oz total 40% spirit 1.3
Piña colada (3 oz rum) 9 oz total 40% rum 2.0
Long Island iced tea (five 0.5 oz pours, our example) 2.5 oz spirits 40% 1.7

Why do craft beer, big pours and cocktails add up so fast?

Because strength and size both creep up, and they multiply. A 16-ounce pint of 7% IPA is nearly two drinks, and a 9-ounce pour of 13.5% wine is two.

Light beer has about 85% as much alcohol as regular beer on average (4.2% versus 5%).2 Cocktail strength varies by recipe, and bars “often make them somewhat differently.”3 With wine, refills hide the count, so NIAAA suggests asking not to be topped off.7

How many standard drinks are in a bottle?

A 750 mL bottle of wine is about 5 standard drinks at 12% (closer to 6 for a 14.5% red), and a 750 mL “fifth” of 80-proof spirits is about 17. A 200 mL “half pint” of spirits is 4½, and a 375 mL bottle is 8½.2

Standard drinks around the world (UK units and others)

“One drink” means different amounts in different countries, so compare grams, not glasses.4

The UK counts in units: one unit is 10 mL, or 8 grams, of pure alcohol, and units = ABV × volume in mL ÷ 1,000. A pint (568 mL) of 5.2% beer is about 3 units, and UK guidance advises not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.8 One US standard drink (14 g) is about 1.75 UK units. A UK pint of 5% beer is about 1.6 US drinks.

A 2016 survey found official definitions in 37 countries, most often 10 grams but ranging from 8 to 20.4 When a study or app says “drinks,” check whose.

How do you use drink counting on a night out?

Decide your number before you go, count every drink in standard drinks, and give yourself time between them.

  • Track as you go. NIAAA suggests noting each drink before you drink it; it may help you slow down.7
  • Know the binge line. Five or more drinks for men, or four or more for women, in about two hours typically brings blood alcohol to 0.08%, NIAAA’s definition of binge drinking.9
  • Pace with time. Many adults clear roughly one standard drink every one to two hours, and nothing has been shown to meaningfully speed that up.10, 11 Water between drinks helps with thirst and pacing, though a 2026 trial found it didn’t change next-day symptoms.12
  • Never drive after drinking. Counting doesn’t make anyone safe to drive; see how long alcohol stays in your system.

Some people shouldn’t drink at all, including anyone pregnant, in recovery or unable to control their drinking, or taking medicines that interact with alcohol.5 More in how to drink responsibly and how to prevent a hangover.

Standard drink calculator: the formula

You don’t need an app. Two formulas cover nearly everything.1

  • Ounces: standard drinks = ounces × ABV% ÷ 60. Example: a 16-oz can at 8.5% is 16 × 8.5 ÷ 60 = 2.3.
  • Milliliters: standard drinks = mL × ABV% ÷ 1,774. Example: a 330 mL bottle at 6% is 330 × 6 ÷ 1,774 = 1.1.

For a cocktail, add up each alcoholic ingredient (ounces × ABV%) and divide the total by 60. ABV is half the proof, so 80-proof is 40%.3

What labels and pours don’t tell you

A standard-drink count is an estimate. Alcohol content varies widely within each type of drink, and the strengths NIAAA lists are only “typical.”2 Pours at home and in bars are rarely measured.

The count also can’t tell you your blood alcohol. Food slows absorption, and women tend to reach higher levels than men of the same weight who drink the same amount.10, 13

Frequently asked questions

How many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine?

About 5. A 750 mL bottle of 12% wine holds about 5 US standard drinks, and a 14.5% red is closer to 6. Splitting a bottle between two people is roughly 2½ drinks each.2

Is a pint of beer one drink?

No. A 16-ounce US pint of 5% beer is about 1.3 standard drinks, and a pint of 7% IPA is nearly 2. A UK pint (568 mL) of 5% beer is about 1.6 US drinks.1, 2

How many standard drinks are in a margarita?

About 1.7, using the recipe in NIAAA’s cocktail calculator: 1.5 ounces of tequila plus 1 ounce of orange liqueur, both 40% alcohol. A bigger pour or a double makes it more, so ask how it’s made.3

How many drinks counts as binge drinking?

NIAAA defines binge drinking as drinking that brings blood alcohol to 0.08% or higher, which typically means five or more drinks for men or four or more for women in about two hours. Those are standard drinks, so two 12-ounce craft beers at 10% already count as four.9

Sources

  1. NIAAA. What Is A Standard Drink? Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  2. NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking. How Many Drinks are in Common Containers? Accessed October 9, 2026. Rethinking Drinking
  3. NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking. Mixed drink and cocktail content calculator (recipes from bartenders’ guides). Accessed October 9, 2026. Rethinking Drinking
  4. Kalinowski A, Humphreys K. Governmental standard drink definitions and low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines in 37 countries. Addiction. 2016;111(7):1293–1298. PMID 27073140. PubMed
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. Released January 7, 2026; “Limit Alcoholic Beverages,” p. 4. PDF
  6. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025. December 2020. PDF
  7. NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking. Tips to Try. Accessed October 9, 2026. Rethinking Drinking
  8. NHS (UK). Calculating alcohol units. Reviewed August 27, 2024. NHS
  9. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose. Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  10. Cederbaum AI. Alcohol metabolism. Clinics in Liver Disease. 2012;16(4):667–685. PMID 23101976. PubMed
  11. Jones AW. Evidence-based survey of the elimination rates of ethanol from blood with applications in forensic casework. Forensic Science International. 2010;200(1–3):1–20. PMID 20304569. PubMed
  12. Imai H, et al. Water intake during drinking does not alleviate hangover symptoms. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2026;17:1852528. PMID 42375618. PubMed
  13. NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking. Why do Women Face Higher Risks for Alcohol-Related Consequences? Accessed October 9, 2026. Rethinking Drinking

Published by Fuller Health, which makes After Party. This article is general information, not medical advice: talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health, medicines and drinking. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research and write.

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